Mandatory minicamps are underway around the NFL, bringing the 2025 season into even clearer view. Teams are back together for their last intensive on-field work until training camps kick off in July. Just because summer practices are here, however, doesn’t mean all is settled across the league.
The start of mandatory work also saw the official start of some big-name holdouts, with Pro Bowl players like Terry McLaurin and T.J. Watt among those steering clear of team facilities due to ongoing contract disputes. Meanwhile, some other notable names reported to camp in spite of unresolved conflicts, including Atlanta Falcons quarterback Kirk Cousins, who’d reportedly been eyeing a fresh start for months. Yet others, like recently released All-Pro cornerback Jaire Alexander, remain without a team entirely.
One thing is for certain: Plenty of drama remains as each of the headlining players works to settle differences or find a new home ahead of the 2025 season. With that in mind, here are our predictions for how some of the most buzzworthy situations will play out in the coming weeks:
Kirk Cousins
Without a feasible path to a starting job in Atlanta and around the NFL, Cousins appears resigned to standing pat as the league’s highest-paid backup quarterback. Would he prefer to play? Sure. He admitted as much after reporting to minicamp this week. There’s just no good option at this juncture, and the Falcons’ hesitation to eat his lucrative contract and grant an early-offseason trade all but ensures Cousins is set to remain insurance for Michael Penix Jr. A major injury to another team’s starter could reinvigorate his market, but even then, are we sure Cousins, now 36, would sign off on an abrupt relocation to a desperate franchise rather than keep his family in Atlanta and hope to play hero off the bench?
Prediction: Remains with Falcons as the No. 2 quarterback
Packers release Jaire Alexander: Two-time Pro Bowler should draw interest as free agent despite injury concern
Cody Nagel
Terry McLaurin
Some were stunned when McLaurin, the consummate professional and face of the Washington Commanders‘ receiving corps, didn’t report for minicamp. Truth is, this isn’t his first rodeo in contract tussles. McLaurin also skipped both spring workouts and mandatory June camp back in 2022, before securing his current extension with the club. This sure feels like the sequel to that short-lived saga, as Washington is committed to title contention in 2025, even adding a new running mate for McLaurin in Deebo Samuel. While he’s approaching 30, “Scary Terry” is also due for a raise after five straight 1,000-yard seasons, including a seamless connection with quarterback Jayden Daniels.
Prediction: Signs three-year, $90 million extension with Commanders
T.J. Watt
This week’s anticipated arrival of Aaron Rodgers was only slightly muddled by the absence of Pittsburgh’s best player to open minicamp, with Watt staging the second — and most dramatic — contract protest of his illustrious career. Back in 2021, fresh off a then-career-high 15 sacks, the star edge rusher reported to minicamp and training camp but refused to practice as a “hold-in,” until Pittsburgh finally rewarded his production with a $112 million extension just days before the season opener. Why should anyone expect a different outcome this time? Watt is synonymous with the Steelers as the heartbeat of Mike Tomlin’s defense, and Pittsburgh is all in on 2025; this feels like a when, not if, situation.
Prediction: Signs three-year, $121.5 million extension with Steelers
Of all the discontent pass rushers seeking new deals this offseason, Parsons’ fight feels the tamest. Perhaps that’s reading too much into his generally jovial personality and public optimism regarding a future in Dallas. Perhaps it’s because, unlike Watt in Pittsburgh, he actually reported to minicamp, albeit as a “hold-in” steering clear of the practice field. Either way, the Cowboys tend to get things done; they just do things at their own pace. Like Dak Prescott and CeeDee Lamb before him, Parsons is a face of this franchise, and he’ll likely be rewarded as such, if only after enduring a long offseason of speculation regarding his value. At the end of the day, our bet is Jerry Jones signs the check.
Prediction: Signs four-year, $162 million extension with Cowboys
Perhaps no player-team divide is greater than the one unfolding in Cincinnati, where the Bengals‘ only difference-making edge rusher is on Year 2 of a seemingly unending contract dispute. Hendrickson has repeatedly gone public with his issues, accusing Bengals brass of reversing a promise to reward his elite sack production with longer-term guarantees. Do the Bengals want to fork over big bucks to an aging, expensive defender after ponying up the dough for two wide receivers this year? Probably not. But what else are they going to do to generate a pass rush? If they wanted to deal him for premium picks, they could’ve done so long ago. We anticipate another lucrative yet Band-Aid resolution.
Prediction: Sits out Week 1, then signs two-year, $64 million extension with Bengals
Just one year after landing a $74 million extension from the Miami Dolphins, Ramsey is fully anticipating a breakup as his AFC East squad rebuilds its defense. The seven-time Pro Bowler will likely fetch little more than a mid- to late-round draft pick in a trade given his age (30) and financial demands, but his wealth of both experience and attitude will convince someone to slot him in as a “missing piece” for 2025. A reunion with the Los Angeles Rams makes the most sense from a title-chasing perspective, but if it’s compensation that ultimately seals the deal here, a move to Sin City feels right up Ramsey’s alley; the Las Vegas Raiders are flush with salary cap space, and coach Pete Carroll is all about physical defense.
Prediction: Traded to Las Vegas Raiders for a 2026 fifth-round pick
Jaire Alexander
All offseason, Alexander and the Green Bay Packers braced for a split over the two-time second-team All-Pro cornerback’s contract, which once looked reasonable but quickly became concerning as the cover man missed more and more time due to injuries. The divorce finally occurred prior to minicamp, with the Packers outright releasing the veteran to free agency. Joining the rival Minnesota Vikings would be spicy and smart for both sides, while the Rams and Baltimore Ravens also make sense as playoff-contending suitors. The Philadelphia Eagles are due for a splash, though, and Alexander, who just happened to be born in Philly, would give them a higher-upside rental for their title-winning secondary.
Prediction: Signs one-year, $16 million deal with Philadelphia Eagles
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